Abstract
Little is known about how recreational triathletes prepare for an Olympic distance event. The aim of this study was to identify the training characteristics of recreational-level triathletes within the competition period and assess how their preparation for a triathlon influences their health and their levels of fatigue. During the 6 weeks prior to, and the 2 weeks after, an Olympic distance triathlon, nine recreational athletes (five males, four females) completed a daily training log. Participants answered the Daily Analysis of Life Demands Questionnaire (DALDA), the Training Distress Scale (TDS) and the Alberta Swim Fatigue and Health Questionnaire weekly. The Recovery-Stress Questionnaire (REST-Q) was completed at the beginning of the study, on the day before the competition, and at the end of week 8. Training loads were calculated using session-based rating of perceived exertion (sRPE). The data from every week of training was compared to week 1 to determine how athletes’ training and health changed throughout the study. No changes in training loads, duration or training intensity distribution were seen in the weeks leading up to the competition. Training duration was significantly reduced in week 6 (p = 0.041, d = 1.58, 95% CI = 6.9, 421.9), while the number of sessions was reduced in week 6 (Z = 2.32, p = 0.02, ES = 0.88) and week 7 (Z = 2.31, p = 0.02, ES = 0.87). Training was characterized by large weekly variations in training loads and a high training intensity. No significant changes were seen in the DALDA, TDS or REST-Q questionnaire scores throughout the 8 weeks. Despite large spikes in training load and a high overall training intensity, these recreational-level triathletes were able to maintain their health in the 6 weeks of training prior to an Olympic distance triathlon.
Highlights
Triathlon is a unique sport that requires athletes to excel in swimming, cycling and running over a variety of distances
The cohort of age-group triathletes in this study presented a random pattern of training throughout the 6 weeks prior to the competition, with large variations in training loads between weeks, along with several sessions performed at higher intensities
Such approach to training could lead to a greater incidence of injuries, lack of recovery and reduced performance [2,4,14,24]
Summary
Triathlon is a unique sport that requires athletes to excel in swimming, cycling and running over a variety of distances. To be able to prepare for the demands of the sport while mastering the three disciplines, and depending on race distance [2,5,6,7,8], age-group triathletes have been reported to train between 8 and 16 h per week To maintain this training volume, triathletes may continue to train even when injured, by increasing their training load in another exercise mode to that in which the injury was sustained [4,9,10]. Recreational endurance athletes often perform easy sessions at a pace that is considered too hard [13], whilst not pushing hard enough on the intense training days This can lead to a program with a higher overall intensity. This itself is linked to delayed recovery following training [14], a greater potential for the occurrence of non-functional overreaching [2,13]
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